The 1987 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 39th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary Wayne Gardner became Australia's first-ever 500cc World Champion in a season that saw him score points in every Grand Prix. Randy Mamola would finish second yet again, one point ahead of Eddie Lawson despite Lawson's five victories. The first Japanese Grand Prix in 20 years was held at the Suzuka Circuit. Along with rounds in Brazil and Argentina, the championship was becoming a real world championship.
Venezuelan Carlos Lavado's defense of his 250 crown was spoiled by injuries sustained in a pre-season crash. Anton Mang stepped up to claim his fifth world championship ahead of four other Hondas. A new brand would announce its arrival in the 250 class when an Aprilia ridden by Loris Reggiani won the San Marino Grand Prix. Garelli's Fausto Gresini won ten out of eleven races in the 125 class, but ruined his bid for a perfect season when he crashed at the last round in Jarama. Spain's Jorge Martinez won the 80cc crown for the second consecutive year.
The Portuguese round was held in Jarama, Spain because the Portuguese Federation had transferred their rights to the Jarama organisers. 1987 would be the first year that saw clutch starts replace push starts on the grounds of safety. The FIM also announced that the 80cc class would be discontinued after 1989 and that the 125 class would be restricted to single cylinder machines.
The last round was in Argentina, which had not hosted a motorcycle Grand Prix since 1982. But appalling organization of the event saw the race nearly boycotted by the riders and their teams, and the race turned out to be a farcical embarrassment for the organizers. The safety of the Autódromo Municipal del Parque Almirante Brown de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires was totally unsuitable for racing; the organization of this Grand Prix was so bad that spectators had easy access to the circuit while the races were going on. The Argentine Grand Prix did not return until 1994.
1987 Grand Prix season calendar The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 1987: RoundDateGrand PrixCircuit 1 29 March Grand Prix of Japan Suzuka Circuit 2 26 April Marlboro Gran Premio de España Circuito Permanente de Jerez 3 17 May Großer Preis von Deutschland Hockenheimring 4 24 May Gran Premio delle Nazioni Autodromo Nazionale Monza 5 7 June Großer Preis von Österreich Salzburgring 6 14 June Yu Grand Prix Automotodrom Rijeka 7 27 June Dutch TT TT Circuit Assen 8 19 July Grand Prix de France Bugatti Circuit 9 2 August Shell Oils British Motorcycle Grand Prix Donington Park 10 9 August Swedish TT Scandinavian Raceway 11 23 August Grand Prix ČSSR-Brno Brno Circuit 12 30 August Grand Prix San Marino Circuito Internazionale Santa Monica 13 13 September Gran Premio Marlboro de Portugal Circuito Permanente Del Jarama 14 27 September GP Brasil Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia 15 4 October Gran Prix da la República Argentina Autódromo Oscar Alfredo GálvezSources:
Calendar changes The Japanese Grand Prix was added to the calendar after a 20-year absence. The venue hosting the race was the Suzuka Circuit instead of the previously used Fuji Speedway. The Spanish Grand Prix moved from the Jarama to the Jerez circuit. The Spanish Grand Prix was moved back, from 4 May to 29 April. The German Grand Prix moved from the Nürburgring to the Hockenheimring. The British Grand Prix moved from the Silverstone circuit to Donington Park. The Portuguese Grand Prix was added to the calendar. The Autódromo do Estoril was not yet suited for racing, so the Jarama circuit in Spain was chosen to host the race instead. The Brazilian and Argentine Grand Prix were added to the calendar. The Brazilian round was completely new, while the Argentine round returned after a 4-year absence.
Results and standings Grands Prix Round Date Race Location 80cc winner 125cc winner 250cc winner 500cc winner Report 1 29 March Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka Masaru Kobayashi Randy Mamola Report 2 26 April Spanish Grand Prix Jerez Jorge Martínez Fausto Gresini Martin Wimmer Wayne Gardner Report 3 17 May German Grand Prix Hockenheim Gerhard Waibel Fausto Gresini Anton Mang Eddie Lawson Report 4 24 May Italian Grand Prix Monza Jorge Martínez Fausto Gresini Anton Mang Wayne Gardner Report 5 7 June Austrian Grand Prix Salzburgring Jorge Martínez Fausto Gresini Anton Mang Wayne Gardner Report 6 14 June Yugoslavian Grand Prix Automotodrom Rijeka Jorge Martínez Carlos Lavado Wayne Gardner Report 7 27 June Dutch TT Assen Jorge Martínez Fausto Gresini Anton Mang Eddie Lawson Report 8 19 July French Grand Prix Le Mans Fausto Gresini Reinhold Roth Randy Mamola Report 9 2 August British Grand Prix Donington Jorge Martínez Fausto Gresini Anton Mang Eddie Lawson Report 10 9 August Swedish Grand Prix Anderstorp Fausto Gresini Anton Mang Wayne Gardner Report 11 23 August Czechoslovak Grand Prix Brno Stefan Dörflinger Fausto Gresini Anton Mang Wayne Gardner Report 12 30 August San Marino Grand Prix Misano Manuel Herreros Fausto Gresini Loris Reggiani Randy Mamola Report 13 13 September Portuguese Grand Prix Jarama Jorge Martínez Paolo Casoli Anton Mang Eddie Lawson Report 14 27 September Brazilian Grand Prix Goiania Dominique Sarron Wayne Gardner Report 15 4 October Argentine Grand Prix Buenos Aires Sito Pons Eddie Lawson Report
Participants 500cc participants TeamConstructorMotorcycleNo.RiderRounds Marlboro Yamaha Team Agostini Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 1 Eddie Lawson All 5 Rob McElnea 1–14 21 Tadahiko Taira 1–7, 9–15 Rothmans Honda/HRC Honda Honda NSR500 2 Wayne Gardner All 16 Shunji Yatsushiro All Rothmans Honda Britain Honda Honda NSR500 12 Roger Burnett 1–13 Honda Britain Honda Honda RS500 5733 Richard Scott 2–7 Team Lucky Strike Roberts Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 3 Randy Mamola All 4 Mike Baldwin 1–2, 13–15 29 Shinji Katayama 1 33 Hiroyuki Kawasaki 1 33 Richard Scott 8–12 51 Kenny Roberts 4 Yamaha Team Roberts Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 401734 Kevin Magee 1, 7, 13 Team Sonauto Gauloises Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 6 Christian Sarron 1–5, 7–15 Team Cagiva - Alstare Cagiva Cagiva C587 7 Didier de Radiguès 1–5, 7–15 8 Raymond Roche 1–8, 11–15 Team Elf-ROC Elf-Honda Elf 4-Honda 9 Ron Haslam 1–13 HB Honda Gallina Honda Honda NS500 10 Pierfrancesco Chili All HB Honda/HRC Honda Honda NSR500 11 Niall Mackenzie 1–5, 7–15 HRC Honda Honda NSR500 19 Freddie Spencer 9–12 11 Niall Mackenzie 6 27 Keiji Kinoshita 1 Hein Gericke Racing HG-Honda HG500-Honda 14 Gustav Reiner 1–6, 8–9, 12–13 3634 Manfred Fischer 3–5, 7–10, 12 Servisco Honda Honda RS500 15 Fabio Biliotti 2–6, 9–13 Heron Suzuki GB Ltd Suzuki Suzuki RGV500 18 Kenny Irons 1–12 34 Kevin Schwantz 2, 4, 8 34 Donnie McLeod 3 32 Takumi Ito 1 Skoal Bandit Heron Suzuki Suzuki Suzuki RG500 TSR6 (XR70) 46 Roger Marshall 9 Duckhams NLM - North London Motorcycles Honda Honda RS500 22 Simon Buckmaster 1–3, 5–13 Team Iberna Honda Honda RS500 23 Alessandro Valesi 1–2, 4–13 Frankonia-Suzuki Suzuki Suzuki RG500 TSR6 (XR70) 24 Wolfgang von Muralt 1–2, 4–14 Lucky Strike Fior Fior-Honda Fior-Honda RS500 25 Marco Gentile All Fior-SNCF Fior-Honda Fior-Honda RS500 5326 Thierry Rapicault 2–4 5572 Hervé Guilleux 5–11, 13 Andy Leuthe World Championship Racing Honda Honda RS500 40 Andreas Leuthe 4–6, 8 La Vigile San Marco Honda Honda RS500 42782950 Fabio Barchitta 3–4, 6–13 Bruno Kneubühler Honda Honda RS500 37456555 Bruno Kneubühler 2–13 H.D.J. B.Y Honda Honda RS500 6144 Maarten Duyzers 2–3, 5, 8–10 FE-GO Honda Honda RS500 56 Silvo Habat 6 Rallye Sport Honda Honda RS500 27 Gerold Fischer 2–7, 10–11 Walter Wolf-Suzuki Japan Suzuki Suzuki RGV500 31 Masaru Mizutani 1 MS Kajigaya Yamaha Yamaha YZR500 35 Norihiko Fujiwara 1 TSR Honda Kanto Honda Honda NS500 36 Kyoji Nanba 1 SRS Sugaya Suzuki Suzuki RG500 (XR70) 38 Susumu Shimada 1 Team Sweden Honda Honda RS500 32 Peter Linden 10 Daniel Amatriain Grand Prix Racing Honda Honda RS500 37 Daniel Amatriain 2–4, 8, 12–13 Team Greco Suzuki Suzuki RG500 (XR45) 38 Vittorio Gibertini 12 Assmex Docshop Suzuki Suzuki RGB500 39 Rob Punt 7 Honda Honda RS500 40 Henny Boerman 7, 9, 13 Aldridge Racing Honda Honda RS500 3142 Ray Swann 7–10, 13 Plein Pot Honda Honda RS500 45 Louis-Luc Maisto 2, 6, 8–10 Moto Paton Srl. Paton Paton V115 40 Vittorio Scatola 4–6, 8, 12 Hestmann Motor Suzuki Suzuki RGB500 40 Geir Hestmann 10 Shell Gemini Honda Honda RS500 52 Joey Dunlop 9 Blue Wing-Bratt Honda Honda Honda NS500 59 Andy McGladdery 9 Motoclub Merate Suzuki Suzuki RGB500 68 Marco Marchesani 4 Shell-DAF Trucks Honda Honda RS500 52 Karl Truchsess 3, 5, 7 Vincenzo Cascino Suzuki Suzuki RGB500 39 Vincenzo Cascino 13–15 Source:Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider
250cc participants TeamConstructorMotorcycleNo.RiderRounds HB-Venemotos Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 1 Carlos Lavado 2–10, 13–15 Campsa-Honda Honda Honda NSR250 2 Sito Pons All Rothmans Honda France Honda Honda NSR250 3 Dominique Sarron 1–6, 8–15 Rothmans Honda Honda Honda NSR250 4 Anton Mang All Pole Position/Ville d’Hyeres Honda Honda RS250R 5 Jean-François Baldé 1, 3–6, 8–14 Defi Defi-Rotax ?? 5 Jean-François Baldé 1, 3–6, 8–14 Marlboro Yamaha Team Agostini Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 6 Martin Wimmer 1–2, 5–15 22 Luca Cadalora 1–5, 7–15 ?? Massimo Messere ?? Team Parisienne-Elf Honda Honda NSR250 7 Jacques Cornu 1–10 23 Urs Lüzi 10–15 Honda RS250R 55 Bernard Hänggeli 2, 9, 11, 13 Team Iberna Honda Honda RS250R 8 Fausto Ricci 1–2, 12–13 ?? Honda Honda RS250R 10 Donnie Mcleod 1–13 Pepsi/Ehrlich Automotive EMC-Rotax ?? 10 Donnie Mcleod 1–13 Team Ducados Angel Nieto Honda Honda NSR250 12 Carlos Cardús 1, 3–15 Racing Team Katayama Sekitoba-Honda Honda RS250R 14 Stéphane Mertens All 15 Virginio Ferrari 1 Team Italia Garelli Garelli Garelli 250 GP 16 Maurizio Vitali 1–6, 9–13 Sonauto Gauloises Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 17 Patrick Igoa 1–5, 7–15 21 Jean-Philippe Ruggia All Sonauto Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha TZ 250 21 Jean-Philippe Ruggia All ?? Chevallier-Yamaha Yamaha TZ 250 19 Jean Foray 2–3, 6–8, 10, 12–15 Atomic Road Racing Team Honda Honda RS250R 20 Hans Lindner 3–11 HB Römer Team Honda Honda NSR250 24 Reinhold Roth All Römer Racing Team Honda Honda RS250R 3432 Harald Eckl 1–13 Honda France Honda Honda RS250R 25 Jean-Michel Mattioli All ?? Honda Honda RS250R 27 Manfred Herweh 1–2, 4–13 Ducados-Yamaha Racing Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 31 Joan Garriga 1–7, 11–15 Team Aprilia Aprilia AFI-Rotax ?? 321830413634 Loris Reggiani 2–6, 8–15 Pave d’Affinois Honda Honda RS250R 36 Guy Bertin All D Gallacher - Bradgate Containers YamahaHonda Yamaha TZ 250Honda RS250R 38 Kevin Mitchell 1, 6–7, 9–11 East West Transport Honda Honda RS250R 41 Garry Cowan 3, 5–9, 11–12 Ajinomoto Honda Honda NSR250 4345 Masahiro Shimizu 1, 14–15 44 Masaru Kobayashi 1 HOMA Racing Team Honda Honda RS250R 43 Siegfried Minich 2, 5–7 Mitsui-Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha TZ 250 45 Jochen Schmid 2–10, 12 M.T.D Honda Honda RS250R 48 Bruno Bonhuil 1–4, 6, 8, 10–15 F.M.V. Yamaha Yamaha TZ 250 4933 Iván Palazzese 6, 11–12 Gazzaniga Corse Gazzaniga-Rotax ?? ?? Stefano Caracchi 2, 4, 7–10, 12–15 Angelo Gazzaniga Honda Honda RS250R 49 Stefano Caracchi 2, 4, 7–10, 12–15 ?? Yamaha Yamaha TZ 250 55 René Délaby 2–13 ?? Honda Honda RS250R ?? Alain Bronec 2, 6, 8–11, 13–15 Moriwaki Honda Honda NSR250 ?? Alan Carter 1 ?? Honda Honda RS250R ?? Hervé Duffard 2, 8–10, 14–15 ?? Honda Honda RS250R ?? Urs Lüzi 10–15 ?? Honda Honda RS250R ?? Alberto Rota 2–3, 12–13 Source:Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider
Final standings 500cc standings
Scoring system Points are awarded to the top ten finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1